Fall has finally arrived in the Denver metro area! As temperatures start to dip, it’s important to remember a few key things to protect your home’s plumbing. Forgotten garden hoses, freezing temperatures, and even fall-season root growth can damage your plumbing system.
Keep reading for our must-have checklist of six steps to prepare your home for the fall season.
1. Measure Your Water Pressure
Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, and while that spa-like water pressure might be nice when you shower, it could be wreaking havoc on your plumbing system and the fixtures and appliances attached to it.
A few telltale signs that you have a water pressure problem include:
- Leaky/dripping faucets
- Running toilets
- Funny sounds
- Hammering noise in pipes
Still not sure whether your water pressure is too high or just right? It’s simple to test! Check out this video for a step-by-step walkthrough from High 5 Plumbing technician Josh:
Be sure to take a look at this blog post for the in-depth scoop: Everything You Need To Know About Your Home’s Water Pressure.
2. Inspect Your Outdoor Faucets
If your home has an outdoor faucet that you use to water your lawn, wash your car, or tend to your garden, you should know that freezing temperatures can damage your yard faucet—and the piping that runs from the outside of your house to the interior water source.
It’s also critical—and required by the Denver building code—that you have an anti-siphon yard faucet installed to prevent any non-potable yard water from backing up into your system and contaminating your drinking water.
For more on that sometimes-overlooked piece of your plumbing system, check out 5 Important Things You Need to Know About Your Yard Faucet.
3. Inspect Your Interior Shut-off Valve
And while you’re at it, don’t forget to turn off the shut-off valve inside your home and drain that spigot before we see Denver’s first frost! Your home may also have a sprinkler supply line near that main shut-off valve. Be sure to drain and close that line for the season, too, to prevent damage to your home or irrigation system.
Check out the video below for a walkthrough of how to locate your home’s main shut-off valve (and sprinkler supply line):
4. Disconnect Your Garden Hose
Even if you have a frost-free spigot, it’s important to remember to disconnect your garden hose once the temperatures really start to dip. If you don’t, you run the risk of your pipes freezing and bursting. That’s because any water remaining in your hose will freeze and expand to take up nearly 10% more space than before, resulting in burst pipes, broken valves, and/or broken joints.
So take a walk around the house, and make sure your garden hoses are wrapped up and put away for the season!
5. Inspect Your Sump Pump
Your sump pump is a critical piece of your plumbing system that can save you massive amounts of money and stress. It provides protection against flooding, mold, home foundation issues, and electrical fires, and having a sump pump even increases the value of your home. While some sump pumps feature built-in alert and battery backup systems, it’s still important to inspect your home’s sump pump. In fact, we recommend you check on yours every month or two to make sure it’s working properly.
Not sure where your sump pump is located? Learn how to find the sump pump in your home with this quick-and-useful tutorial from High 5 Plumbing technician Steven:
And if your home doesn’t already have a sump pump, be sure to check out our Top 6 Reasons You Need to Install a Sump Pump.
6. Flush Your Water Heater
Your water heater works hard for you day in and day out. And at least annually, it deserves a little TLC! You should be flushing your water heater every year, regardless of whether it’s tanked or tankless, gas-powered or electric.
See what goes into flushing your water heater in this helpful how-to video from High 5 Plumbing technician Andrew:
And for more tips on how to keep the workhorse of your home in tip-top shape, be sure to take a look at our ultimate guide: Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Your Water Heater.
7. Inspect Your Sewer Line with a Camera
Root intrusions can be a major problem for your sewer mainline. If you haven’t had your line looked at lately, we recommend a video sewer line inspection, as roots from trees and shrubs grow in the spring as well as in the fall.
Check out this video from High 5 Plumbing technician Pedro to learn more about the camera and locator tool we’ll use to inspect your sewer mainline:
If there’s any damage to your sewer main line that requires a full or partial replacement, we’ve got you covered! Check out this blog post to learn more: What to Expect When Your Sewer Main Line Needs to be Replaced.
And if you’re curious about the other kinds of drain cleaning services we offer (and the tools we use to do the job), check out this blog post: 9 Machines We Use for Drain Cleaning Every Day.
Final Thoughts
If you own a home in the Denver area, now is the perfect time to check in on your home’s plumbing system. Whether you’re due for an annual water heater flush or just need to make sure everything is in order before our first freeze, it’s important to give your home the regular attention it deserves, especially as the season changes. And you deserve peace of mind!
Here’s that checklist one more time:
- Measure your water pressure
- Inspect your outdoor faucets
- Disconnect your garden hose
- Inspect your sump pump
- Flush your water heater
- Inspect your sewer main line with a camera
If you need help tackling this list, High 5 Plumbing is here to help! Our experienced certified plumbing technicians are happy to address any fall maintenance plumbing needs you might have. Schedule your service today!
Request an Estimate Today!
At High 5 Plumbing, our trustworthy, reliable experts can take care of all your plumbing maintenance needs so that you can have the peace of mind that your home is in top-notch shape. Call us today or contact us online to get your expert estimate—fair and honest every time!
